FAMU alumnus Maurice Allen, a professional long drive competitor, is making his mark in the golf world. The talented 35-year old has won two World Long Drive events and is ranked the No.1 Long Drive competitor in the world.
Allen’s recent championship at the Catawba Classic moved him from No. 4 to No. 1 in the rankings for the Volvik World Long Drive Championship.
While at FAMU, where he earned a degree in biology, Allen was an All-American on the Men’s Track Team and ran in the Olympic trials in 2004. Allen is using his success on the greens as an opportunity to reach back to motivate future golfers. He is a member of the Minority Golf Club, YMCA in Tangelo Park in Orlando, the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association, and First Tee in Orlando. His service to the community includes being a motivational speaker and helping promote education in Pine Hills – the area he grew up in outside Orlando – by offering scholarships to students involved with the Boys & Girls Club, maintaining the highest GPA in their final year of high school.
“To be No. 1 in the world is a great blessing and honor,” Allen told the African-American Golfer’s Digest. “But I find it to be more of a responsibility than something that one can brag about. In the critical state of the sport of Long Drive, I feel that it is my responsibility to grow the sport and make it better in my tenure as the No. 1 ranked player….I must lead the way,” he said.